A Fresh Look On Music and Pop Culture

Image Drake posted when releasing So Far Gone

Drake uploaded So Far Gone on February 13, 2009 and I can’t say I was online waiting for it. Not that I was late on Drake; of course I had seen him on Degrassi, but I was also familiar with his song “Replacement Girl” with Trey Songz. I just didn’t know anything about his blog, octobersveryown.blogspot.com or that he was still releasing music. But once I did, I was HOOKED on So Far Gone. I would listen to it obsessively basically until Thank Me Later came out and then I mixed those two together.

So Far Gone had a major influence on me. Not only did I become obsessed with Drake, it introduced to a lot of other artists and mixtapes that came up in 2009, such as J. Cole, Kid Cudi, and Wiz Khalifa. It influenced me to start my first blog (the big sister of this website). It led me to getting my master’s degree in Music Business from NYU and writing my thesis on using mixtapes as a business model. It got me into going to concerts and which eventually led to concert photography and this website. It also got me into spending way too much on concert merchandise.

Some interesting tidbits about So Far Gone and Drake during this era:

This was the original artwork for the “Best I Ever Had” single

It was deemed too obscure so it was replaced with this.

OVO used to post all the time to their blog on blogspot. You can still see the old posts, and they still post on it.

The original So Far Gone EP that was released on CD only had seven songs, including the new track, “Fear,” which remains my favorite Drake song.

This was the original artwork for “Fear”

Whats your favorite songs from So Far Gone? My top five are “Little Bit,” ” Best I Ever Had,” “Uptown,” “Sooner Than Later,” and “Brand New.

It shouldn’t be surprising that “R.E.M.” is one of her favorites because she has that tattooed behind her ear.

She previously shared her top five for her previous three albums, Yours Truly, My Everything, and Dangerous Woman which you can check out here. When Sweetener came out, she said several songs that she liked, but this seems like a more definite list.

She’s mentioned off thank u, next that her current two favorite are “fake smile” and “make up.”

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Ariana Grande’s new single, “7 Rings,” is named after the rings that she purchased for herself and 6 friends during a rendezvous at Tiffany & Co. However, she gave an eight ring away on the set “7 Rings” to Hannah Lux Davis. A frequent director of Grande’s videos, it is no surprise that she made this sweet gesture to give Davis a ring. Check out her giving the ring in the clip below.

Check out all of Ariana Grade’s and Hannah Lux Davis’ past collaborations below:

Nao’s energy is magnetic and you feel like you are being pulled into her orbit. That is the best way to describe the captivating performance that Nao put on at the Majestic Theatre. She even started the show in the center of the audience, opening with “Another Lifetime.”

Nao had as much fun at the show as her fans did. She danced around to every song, smiling and giddy the entire time. She had a free spirit and attitude that you can only gain from coming out the storm.

Nao explained the meaning behind the title of her album, Saturn. Saturn’s orbital period is about 29 years, so once it goes back to the same position it did once you were born, many changes happen. You tend to reevaluate your relationships or make major decisions, so the album is about that period in her life.

Nao isn’t one of those divas that forgets where she came from. She remembered people in the crowd from previous shows. She also shouted out her band that she has been with for five years, even before she could pay them. My favorite touch of the show is when she passed out balloons resembling the ones from her Saturn album cover.

Saturn is about letting go and moving on, but we shouldn’t move on from Nao anytime soon.

Merchandise Situation:

Her merchandise included a t-shirt, backpack, hoodie, poster, hat, CD and vinyl. The most expensive item was the hoodie for $40. The vinyl ($25) and CD were both signed and I thought those were pretty cute. Most of the merchandise seemed to be only available on the tour and not online.

Setlist:

(this is the Portland show on Jan 14, and despite minor shakeups in the order, the setlist for the Detorit show was about the same)

Panorama, the New York music festival that started in 2016, is taking a year off in 2019. The 2018 festival had its issues; the first day was canceled due to weather. It is taking a hiatus to hopefully allow it to be moved to its original desired location, Queens.

While New York still has the Governor’s Ball, here are other festivals you can travel to and how much much flights cost from New York as of January 25.

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iHeart Radio announced the nominees for the 2019 Music Awards, and if you’ve been listening to the radio at all this past year, none of these nominees should be surprising. Since radio tends to be very mainstream and mostly plays popular music, I was familiar with most of the people in the genres I listen to. My overall takeaway these nominees is that Ella Mai needs to win basically everything she is nominated for. She had a huge year in radio this year with all her singles, and I hope that is reflected in the awards.

Check out my picks below. I greyed out the categories I didn’t feel knowledgeable enough to vote it.

Song of the Year:

“Better Now” – Post Malone

“Girls Like You” – Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B

“God’s Plan” – Drake

“Perfect” – Ed Sheeran

“The Middle” – Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey

Female Artist of the Year:

Ariana Grande

Camila Cabello

Cardi B

Dua Lipa

Halsey

Male Artist of the Year:

Drake

Ed Sheeran

Kendrick Lamar

Post Malone

Shawn Mendes

Best Duo/Group of the Year:

5 Seconds Of Summer

Imagine Dragons

Maroon 5

Panic! At The Disco

twenty one pilots

Best Collaboration:

“Finesse (Remix)” Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B

“Girls Like You” – Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B

“I Like It” – Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin

“Meant To Be” – Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line

“The Middle” – Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey

Best New Pop Artist:

Bazzi

Lauv

Marshmello

MAX

NF

Alternative Rock Song of the Year:

“Africa” – Weezer

“Broken” – lovelytheband

“Happier” – Marshmello featuring Bastille

“High Hopes” – Panic! At the Disco

“Natural” – Imagine Dragons

Alternative Rock Artist of the Year:

Imagine Dragons

lovelytheband

Panic! At The Disco

Portugal. The Man

Thirty Seconds To Mars

Best New Rock/Alternative Rock Artist:

AJR

Badflower

Billie Eilish

lovelytheband

Two Feet

Rock Song of the Year:

“Are You Ready” – Disturbed

“Bulletproof” – Godsmack

“Devil” – Shinedown

“Safari Song” – Greta Van Fleet

“Zombie” – Bad Wolves

Rock Artist of the Year:

Five Finger Death Punch

Godsmack

Greta Van Fleet

Shinedown

Three Days Grace

Country Song of the Year:

“Heaven” – Kane Brown

“Meant To Be” – Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line

“Most People Are Good” – Luke Bryan

“Rich” – Maren Morris

“Tequila” – Dan + Shay

Country Artist of the Year:

Carrie Underwood

Jason Aldean

Luke Bryan

Luke Combs

Thomas Rhett

Best New Country Artist:

Carly Pearce

Dylan Scott

Jordan Davis

LANCO

Russell Dickerson

Dance Song of the Year:

“Friends” – Marshmello and Anne-Marie

“Happier” – Marshmello featuring Bastille

“One Kiss” – Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa

“Remind Me To Forget” – Kygo featuring Miguel

“The Middle” – Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey

Dance Artist of the Year:

Calvin Harris

Kygo

Marshmello

The Chainsmokers

Zedd

Hip-Hop Song of the Year:

“God’s Plan” – Drake

“I Like It” Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin

“In My Feelings” – Drake

“Nice For What” – Drake

“Psycho” – Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign

Hip-Hop Artist of the Year:

Cardi B

Drake

Kendrick Lamar

Post Malone

Travis Scott

Best New Hip-Hop Artist:

BlocBoy JB

Juice WRLD

Lil Baby

Lil Pump

XXXTENTACION

R&B Song of the Year:

“Boo’d Up” – Ella Mai

“Finesse (Remix)” – Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B

“Medicine” – Queen Naija

“Sky Walker” – Miguel featuring Travis Scott

“When We” – Tank

R&B Artist of the Year:

Daniel Caesar

Ella Mai

H.E.R.

Miguel

SZA

Best New R&B Artist:

Brent Faiyaz

Ella Mai

H.E.R.

Queen Naija

TK Kravitz

Latin Song of the Year:

“Clandestino” – Shakira featuring Maluma

“Dura” – Daddy Yankee

“Échame La Culpa” – Luis Fonsi and Demi Lovato

“Me Niego” – Reik featuring Ozuna and Wisin

“X” – Nicky Jam and J Balvin

Latin Artist of the Year:

Bad Bunny

Daddy Yankee

J Balvin

Maluma

Ozuna

Best New Latin Artist:

Lele Pons

Manuel Turizo

Mau y Ricky

Nio Garcia

Raymix

Regional Mexican Song of the Year:

“Entre Beso y Beso” – La Arrolladora Banda El Limón

“Me Dejé Llevar” – Christian Nodal

“Mejor Me Alejo” – Banda MS

“Mi Sorpresa Fuiste Tú” – Calibre 50

“Mitad Y Mitad” – Calibre 50

Regional Mexican Artist of the Year:

Banda Carnaval

Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizárraga

Calibre 50

Christian Nodal

Gerardo Ortiz

Producer of the Year:

David Garcia

Frank Dukes

Louis Bell

Marshmello

Noah “40” Shebib

Best Lyrics: *Socially Voted Category

“Consequences” – Camila Cabello

“Girls Like You” – Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B

“God’s Plan” – Drake

“In My Blood” – Shawn Mendes

“thank u, next” – Ariana Grande

“Without Me” – Halsey

Best Cover Song: *Socially Voted Category

“A Million Dreams” – P!nk and Willow Sage Hart

“Africa” – Weezer

“Crying in the Club” – Niall Horan

“Fast Car” – Khalid

“In My Blood” – Charlie Puth

“Lucid Dreams” – Halsey

“Me, Myself & I” – Zayn

“Natural Woman” – Ariana Grande

“Rewrite the Stars” – Anne-Marie and James Arthur

“You’re Still The One” – Harry Styles and Kacey Musgraves

“Under Pressure” – Shawn Mendes and Teddy Geiger

“Your Song” – Lady Gaga

Best Music Video: *Socially Voted Category

“Delicate” – Taylor Swift

“Dura” – Daddy Yankee

“Finesse (Remix)” – Bruno Mars featuring Cardi B

“Freaky Friday” – Lil Dicky and Chris Brown

“Girls Like You” – Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B

“God’s Plan” – Drake

“I Like It” – Cardi B featuring J Balvin and Bad Bunny

“One Kiss” – Calvin Harris featuring Dua Lipa

“Psycho” – Post Malone featuring Ty Dolla $ign

“Taki Taki” – DJ Snake featuring Selena Gomez, Ozuna and Cardi B

“thank u, next” – Ariana Grande

“This Is America” – Childish Gambino

Social Star Award: *Socially Voted Category

Agnez Mo

Bhad Bhabie

Dylan Minnette

Joji

Lele Pons

Loren Gray

Mason Ramsey

Queen Naija

Tana Mongeau

Trixie Mattel

Cutest Musician’s Pet: *Socially Voted Category

Asia – Lady Gaga

Edgar – Brett Eldredge

Goodwin – Sabrina Carpenter

Gracie – Lauren Jauregui

Hatchi – Perrie Edwards

Mooshu – Alex Pall from The Chainsmokers

Piggy Smallz – Ariana Grande

Best Solo Breakout: *Socially Voted Category

Ally Brooke

Dinah Jane

Lauren Jauregui

Normani

Tiffany Young

Song That Left Us Shook: (New Category) *Socially Voted Category

“Here Comes The Change” – Kesha

“I’ll Never Love Again” – Lady Gaga

“One Day” – Logic featuring Ryan Tedder

“thank u, next” – Ariana Grande

“This Is America” – Childish Gambino

“Youth” – Shawn Mendes and Khalid

Favorite Tour Photographer: (New Category) *Socially Voted Category

Andy DeLuca (5SOS)

Christian Tierney (Niall Horan)

Helene Pambrun (Harry Styles)

Josiah Van Dien (Shawn Mendes)

Pixie Levinson (Dua Lipa)

Rahul B (Camila Cabello)

Ravie B (Beyoncé)

Zack Caspary (Why Don’t We)

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After announcing he will be a part of Coachella this year, Smino put out the dates for his “Smino’s Hoopti Tour” in support of his 2018 album Noir. I am beyond excited for this tour. I’ve seen Smino abut four or five times and I love it each. Such a great, soulful, fun show. Check out some pics I’ve done at his show here.

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Netflix released the trailer for their Fyre festival documentary and WTF. I remember when all the drama went down surrounding the festival two years ago, but I would love to get a more in-depth review about all that went down.

Seeing the trailer also inspired me to revisit the the original trailer for the festival. While I don’t think anyone deserves to be scammed, the trailer did not give me a lot of faith in what they were advertising. It was kind of like a Victoria’s Secret commercial mixed with footage with a concert that was not related to Fyre because that was the first year they were going to do it. Also, going to a remote island is never appealing to me.

What do you think of the trailer? Would you have bought tickets to Fyre if you had the money?

Seeing the first lineup for festival season is always surprising because people haven’t released new music yet and you haven’t seen who is on the festival circuit yet. So I’m hoping a lot of these artists release new music and albums to play at these festivals. Its interesting to see Ariana Grande on here; there isn’t usually that many pure pop acts on here, and its great to see another woman headliner. Coachella also has a special connection to Ariana Grande because that is where she did a surprise performance of “No Tears Left To Cry” for the first time.

Check up the full lineup below. You can buy tickets starting Jan 4 here. Prices start at $429 for a weekend pass.